Cloth Diapering-in an apartment.

So...I've cloth diapered 3 kids part time. I tend to go back and forth between cloth and disposables. The main reason? I've lived in apartments the last 8.5 years and NONE have had a washer and dryer. Now I have my 16 month old in cloth and we're planning on completely cloth diapering both him and the new baby when she arrives.

Laundering should be easy. But with a laundromat involved, its really not so easy. Most cloth diaperers soak their diapers in the washer, do a pre-rinse, wash them, rinse them again, etc. They can do whatever combo works to get their diapers clean. With a laundromat I have to wash them on one temp and my only option is an extra rinse.

I think any cloth diapering parents who have to use a laundromat have to really figure out what works for them through trial and error. I've had two different laundry rooms and I've also used the public laundromat (when our old laundry room burned down...lol). Every washer and dryer is different. Some just plain don't work well. I'm lucky in that our front loading machines here actually do a good job generally. If they didn't, I'd use the public laundromat-they work quite well but cost a bit more.

Anyway, so what do I do? It depends on the diaper. I have Flips with their stay dry inserts. 3 thick layers of microfiber. I've already discovered that if I don't do a thorough rinse of them before washing, they won't get clean in one wash. So, I have to rinse them till the water runs clean BEFORE I take them to the wash. Its really not so bad-just have a pair of rubber gloves around. However, thinner diapers can go straight in and come out clean. I always wash on hot, even though it sets stains, and I do an extra rinse about half of the time.

One thing I'd suggest to anyone who uses a laundromat is to really think carefully before buying. Yes, those thick diapers might be great and absorbent but is it really worth it when it takes 3 washes to get them clean and then after 2 dryer cycles, they're STILL damp?!? I'd strongly suggest anyone in this situation look into simple diapers like prefolds and flats. Flats are awesome for laundromats! Prefolds still work well as well. Something thick like Kissaluvs don't (and I LOVE them, don't get me wrong!!). Pocket diapers are great as well-especially if the inserts aren't super thick. Remember, you can always double or even triple up inserts. I can't wait to make some thinner ones. In this case, thinner is definitely better, both for cleaning purposes and for dry time.

Regardless, if you chose a sensible system, you'll still save a ton over disposables. Remember, even people with washers and dryers still spend money washing :)

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Stuck.

My serger is broken. Permanently. So until I can afford a new one, I'm stuck. The good news is, if Scott gets back into school in January I can get a new serger and a sewing machine. And some wool! Woo! In the meantime, I can't do much, so I'm working on a website and trying to do whatever I can without the sewing part. Once that happens I should be set to go and within a month or so be online and selling. I can't wait!

In the meantime, not knowing when the heck I will be able to get this stuff, I went ahead and took advantage of black friday sales and got more Flips. I love them! I also ordered a dozen infant prefolds, some cloth wipes, and more inserts. Its funny but I was trying to avoid artificial materials this time and I'm ending up with ALL artificial materials (sans the prefolds).

I'm also heading into the 3rd trimester! AHHH! Its scary to think that Kai was born just 7 weeks from where I am today.

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First Haircut

Kaidyn had his first haircut tonight. His dad asked me not to buzz it (my usual course of action with my older son) so I just clipped the sides and back and left the top totally alone. He had a mullet going on though...I just couldn't leave it! Anyway, I can't get a good pic, its just too dark in here, so I'll try tomorrow and post it.

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Its here!

Weee! My bamboo velour has arrived! I'm very sad because I have to clean all night, but tomorrow I'm definitely going to cut some out and start having fun! I just need serger thread...which is hard without a car... :(

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Pics!

http://heyjulie.wordpress.com/2006/08/18/cabled-baby-hats/This is the pattern I used for my hat, although I decided to use a d

ifferent band and obviously

I'm using a different yarn. It turned out great though!

I think I'll add a little pink pom pom or something on top, just for that extra girlie feel.

Anyway, for my first cable knit project, it didn't turn out bad at all!

Next are some pics of the little jacket I made. It'll lay a lot more properly once I have the lining in, but you get the idea.

The pattern called for buttons but I thought this looked more girlie. The bows look cuter in real life though...as do the colors.

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My charger grew legs.

I wanted to take some pics to put up, I really did. And of course, my camera is dead and the battery charger is no where to be seen. Arg!

I've been busy, I've almost finished the baby's jacket, just need the lining now, and I made her a cable knit hat (my first cable project!). Now I'm working on matching pants and saving up for the Blue Sky I want to buy.

Oh and yes, it IS a GIRL! We think we're set on her name and such, but I'm still working out the spelling of the middle name. In any case, her first name is going to be Mieke. I really like unusual names and this one is so cute to me when you say it-its said like Mee-Kuh.

I also had 2 birthdays over the last month, Pai is now 4 (though she still tells people she's 6) and Líle is 7!! Now for planning Christmas...fun fun!

Anywho, when I get my camera charged, I'll be taking pics. Yay!

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i.love.yarn.

I think I may be getting overly ambitious, but I've been looking at yarn and omg, I have so many ideas!

I just finished the main chunk of a brown and pink jacket-I need to add the pink and buttons-made from Cotton-Ease. I love it! It'll fit a newborn just right. I hope. I'm going to line it in something lightweight to cover up my bad job of finishing though-I've learned a lot about finishing with this project! I'm on the look out for some pink bamboo or organic cotton jersey. :)

I also pulled out my merino-alpaca blend that I dyed up myself and found a color that I really like-its lavender with some blues. Its very pretty and soft. I'm going to make some longies out of it for the newbie.

And then, my big projects. I'm getting Blue Sky dyed cotton in colors to coordinate with the baby's carseat-pinks and oranges mainly. I'm planning on making a bunting bag, with a hole for the crotch strap in the carseat, a jacket in a larger size that also matches, and hats to match both. I'm also going to make a removable liner for the bunting-something I can take out in the summer and still use the bunting on cooler summer days (we live in Seattle so...yeah...) and I'm going to line the jacket with something very warm too-and hopefully use it as a winter coat (again, we live in Seattle, the winters here dont tend to be super cold). I was thinking of Bamboo velour or something similar-soft and warm. Any other ideas?

I'll post a pic of the jacket after I add the pink-and charge my camera. I think I'll make a hat too...

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My New Blog! Woo!

So, I had a blog before, I kind of left it after my youngest son was brought home from the hospital. Since then, so much has changed that I decided I should just start all over. So here we are!

A little about me: I'm a mom of 4 (and a half). My kids are Eriq, 9, Lile, 6, Paikea, 3, and Kaidyn, 1. I'm recently divorced, which was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm also engaged to the love of my life, Scott. And we're expecting in Feb! My due date is March 2nd, but I'll be having the baby in February, almost without a doubt.

We've decided after coming to terms with the fact that we can't afford a grand to deliver at home with the midwife we had chosen, that I will be getting prenatal care at the local hospital OB group and unless something goes wrong, we'll be delivering unassisted. It took a lot of reading and research to make that decision, but that's what we're doing. I just don't want to be in the hospital if I can at all avoid it-and I have faith in my body and my ability to birth, as well as in Scott to know how to help me and get me help if we need it.

Of course, the OB's office won't know any of this-and I'm still very opinionated on certain aspects of pregnancy, so this should be interesting. I haven't seen an OB in 9 years-except for the on call perinatologist that delivered my last baby. He was great, I'd love to have an OB like that again! In any case, this should be a very interesting pregnancy!

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